Heartbreak for Great Britain as they lose extra time epic to Australia in Olympic football quarter-final with Mary Fowler netting Aussies’ third goal just 82 SECONDS after …

WHERE do you even start? Ellen White’s ultimately fruitless hat-trick? Caroline Weir’s agonising extra-time penalty miss? Mary Fowler’s streaky, against-the-run-of-play, deflected long-range screamer?

Unfortunately the start makes little difference because the end remains the same. Team GB’s women’s footballers are out of the Olympics following a dramatic night on which they simply could not waltz past the Matildas, no matter how hard they tried.

Hege Riise’s side were one minute from the semi-final. One minute. The lethal White’s second-half brace had cancelled out Alanna Kennedy’s first-half opener and, while it had been an often-uncomfortable evening, a win was a win.

It was joy for Australia as they edged out Great Britain after extra time in a quarter-final epic

Caroline Weir saw an extra time penalty saved by Teagan Micah as Team GB were denied 

Australia broke downfield and Mary Fowler’s deflected shot made it 3-2 just 82 seconds later

But Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, one of the world’s best, somehow found space in a congested area from a deep ball. The rest was inevitable. She took her time, hammered home and took it to extra-time.

Even then, after that morale-sapping late blow, the feeling was that this should not have happened. A soft penalty decision gave Weir the chance to put Britain ahead but her spot-kick was comfortably saved by Teagan Micah and 83 seconds later teenage sub Fowler had struck, albeit with the unwitting help of a luckless Bronze.

Heads dropped. Not long after the start of the second half, Kerr made it 4-2 for the Australians with a fine header and you sensed that was that.

MATCH FACTS

Great Britain (4-2-3-1): Roebuck; Bronze (Stanway 112), Houghton (c), Williamson, Stokes (Bright 57); Walsh (Ingle 97), Weir; Daly (Kirby 57), Little (Scott 80), Hemp (Parris 96); White

Substitute not used: Telford (GK) Coach: Hege Riise

Scorer: White 57, 66, 115  Missed penalty: Weir 101 

Booked: Bronze, Stanway

Australia (3-4-3): Micah; Carpenter, Kennedy, Luik (Gielnik 80); Raso (Logarzo 88), Van Egmond, Yallop, Catley; Simon (Fowler 80), Kerr (c), Foord (Cooney-Cross 80 (Polkinghorne 108))

Substitutes not used: Williams (GK); Brock Coach: Tony Gustavsson

Scorers: Kennedy 35; Kerr 89, 106; Fowler 103 Booked: Kerr, Simon

Referee: Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda)

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But this was a group that did not want to give up. Hope arrived when sub Fran Kirby crossed and White nodded in her third. Five minutes to find an equaliser. Out came the kitchen sink. It was, however, not enough. A tournament that had promised so much left in ruins.

This was a sad and unexpected end. With White firing and the defence appearing stingy, Riise had high hopes for a squad that appeared to be getting better and better.

They believed they had more to give. They believed they had gold in them. They head home now with plenty of precious memories but no precious metal.

White, at least, has had a sterling tournament with six goals. She will take no solace.

‘Do you know what, I would have given up every single goal to win a gold medal’ the 32-year-old explained afterwards, close to tears. 

‘I’m really proud to have contributed, to score for this team, to be part of this team, but I would have given it all up for a gold. It is what it is. I’m going home and the Australians are going through.’

There were no regrets, regardless.

‘I really thought that with this group of players we would go on to win gold,’ White added. 

‘So yes, I’m absolutely heartbroken but I couldn’t be more proud of the team, the staff, we haven’t been together very long but the relationships, the connections, the family-like feel, it’s been amazing and I’m really proud of everyone.’ 

Australia celebrate after Sam Kerr’s late goal forced the quarter-final into extra time

Ellen White’s second goal sparked wild celebrations from the Great Britain squad 

White has been in sensational form during the Olympics and she drew Great Britain level 

The Manchester City forward hangs in the air to head Great Britain level in the second half

Not that they would want to hang around, but Covid rules dictate that White and Co now have to fly home within 48 hours. When she lands, how does she recover from another big tournament delivering another big gut punch following World Cup heartache just two years ago?

‘That’s a good question,’ she said. ‘How do you do that? I’ll be laying on the sofa for a few weeks. It’s hard. I don’t know how many times you can get knocked down and get back up again but I love football. 

‘It’s hard, it’s challenging but it’s the love for the game and the want and the will to win I’m not saying it’s a walk in the park because everyone is heartbroken in there but I know everyone will get back up again and strike to be better.’

Alanna Kennedy scored Australia’s opening goal on 35 minutes at the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium

Kennedy dives onto the turf to celebrate her opening goal with her Australian team-mates

Coach Riise, the Olympic, World Cup and European champion parachuted in from Norway following Phil Neville’s departure to Inter Miami, was as shocked. 

‘We are devastated right now,’ she said. ‘It’s hard to lose a game like this. We were well-prepared. We [played] most of the game quite well. We created a lot of chances, we should probably have finished a few of them, and now it’s just hard, we are all devastated.’

She was not wrong. Her side hit the bar three times in a tone-setting opening 20 minutes. But, in that irritating manner that seems to course through the veins of Australian sports teams, her opponents refused to die.

There is also that Aussie larrikin streak, which Kerr displayed at the end. ‘I was pretty happy to see all the Chelsea girls on the bench to be honest,’ she said, pointedly.

‘That was a win for me, I would rather not play against girls that know me and what I’m going to do, I see that as a mental win for me as I’ve seen that, especially Fran Kirby the best player in the world for me at the moment.’

Fair dinkum.

Great Britain’s Lauren Hemp tries to get the better of Australia’s Hayley Raso

Keira Walsh controls the ball under pressure from Australia’s Kyah Simon during the match

Australia’s Ellie Carpenter battles for possession with Great Britain’s Rachel Daly